Cong. plans Statewide protest on May 8

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 30. The Congress has decided to organise `rasta roko' throughout the State on May 8 to protest against the indifferent attitude of the TDP Government towards facilitating paddy farmers to get remunerative prices.

This was announced at a press conference by the APCC president, Mr. M. Satyanarayana Rao, after a meeting with senior party leaders, including the former Chief Minister, Mr. N. Janardhana Reddy, the CWC member, Mrs. Sarojini Pulla Reddy, the CLP deputy leaders, Mr. J. C. Diwakar Reddy and other MLAs at Gandhi Bhavan here on Monday. Partymen would court arrest on a large scale on that day.

Mr. Satyanarayana Rao will take part in the rasta roko at Visakhapatnam, Dr. Mysoora Reddy MLA, at Vijayawada, the AICC secretary, Mr. V. Hanumantha Rao, in West Godavari district, the former PCC chief, Mr. K. Rosaiah in Warangal and Mrs. Sarojini Pulla Reddy in Hyderabad.

The PCC chief said the assertions by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, that he was writing to the Centre to step up rice procurement sounded hollow because there was no change in the ground situation. He had personally witnessed the plight of farmers in Jammikunta market yard in Karimnagar district last week when he found that the FCI, A. P. Civil Supplies Corporation and other procurement agencies were virtually doing nothing to lift surplus stocks.

If Mr. Naidu was really concerned about farmers, he ought to bring political pressure on the NDA Government as it could not survive without the support of the 29 TDP MPs. The Congress) would intensify the agitation by taking up a `jail bharo' programme later.

Mr. Satyanarayana Rao also announced that the PCC would undertake a Statewide a signature campaign from May 1 to 16 as part of the second phase of the agitation demanding the resignation of the Vajpayee Government on the Tehelka expose. This follows a direction given by the AICC which plans to submit a memorandum to the President of India to invoke the Constitutional powers vested in him to dismiss the NDA Government.

The party will collect signatures on its memorandum from May 1 to 4 in the State capital, from May 5 to 10 in district headquarters and from May 11 to 16 in Mandals. Mr. Rao has addressed a letter to all district party chiefs to convene meetings with Congress leaders on May 2 to chalk out measures for making the signature campaign a success.

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Section  : Southern States
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